Give Tongues of Fire and Hearts of Love

Posted by on 5.24.09 in Congregational Singing, Devotional, Preaching

Here’s a great missionary hymn (one source called it one of the greatest ever written) by Isaac Watts (1674-1748). I should add that it is entirely new to me. Watts wrote many hymns, most notably “Joy to the World,” “Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed,” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” On this Lord’…

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For All the Saints

Posted by on 11.1.08 in Congregational Singing, Devotional, Video

Here is a video of one of my favorite hymns, “For All the Saints.” It comes from a worship service at Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church in Arlington, Virginia. I love the video because it’s a real church service, not a concert performance. I love the soaring melody that goes with this triumphant. When I hear it sung (which, sad t…

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Mighty to Save

Posted by on 8.13.08 in Congregational Singing

Recently I’ve enjoyed singing “Mighty to Save.” Here’s a version from Hillsong in Australia. Listen and sing along and let your heart be uplifted as you worship the Lord.…

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FM Radio Religion

Posted by on 12.13.07 in Church Trends, Congregational Singing

So what’s happening in the “worship wars” these days? Terry Mattingly provides one answer in a column called FM Radio Reality in Church, which describes how one megachurch in California manages to put together three “radically different services” each week. Conventional wisdom suggests that nothing divides a church mo …

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Arise, My Soul, Arise

Posted by on 3.30.07 in Congregational Singing

In 1742 Charles Wesley wrote a hymn called Arise, My Soul, Arise. Though greatly used by God in past generations, it is not often sung today, and I daresay that most under 30 have never heard it. For that matter, I can only remember singing it once or twice. I thought I would post the words to this powerful hymn to encourag …

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My Ten Favorite Contemporary Worship Songs

Posted by on 12.31.06 in Congregational Singing

A few months ago I wrote about my ten favorite hymns. Later I added another entry on my top ten gospel songs. At the time, I promised that I would eventually write about my favorite contemporary worship songs. I intended to get around to it earlier but kept putting it off until Steve Boisse reminded me a few days ago. So on …

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My Perfect Church Is . . . A Singing Church

Posted by on 10.14.06 in Churches, Congregational Singing, Theology

Consider this a follow-up to my earlier entry on My Perfect Church. After thinking about that list some more, I wanted to pare it down to a few succinct principles that could be easily memorized, I was surprised by the first thing that came to mind, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind so I left it in first place. My …

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My Ten Favorite Gospel Songs

Posted by on 9.17.06 in Congregational Singing, Personal

A few weeks ago I wrote about my ten favorite hymns. Today I’m offering this list of my ten favorite gospel songs. Two quick notes are in order. First, I find it difficult to define what I mean by “gospel song” so I won’t even try, and I’m not where exactly how to demarcate between a hymn and a gospel song …

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My Ten Favorite Hymns

Posted by on 8.13.06 in Congregational Singing

During my recent sabbatical from blog-writing, I started thinking about the hymns that mean the most to me at this point in my spiritual journey. The more I pondered it, the more I realized that certain hymns have become exceedingly precious and important to my soul. What follows is a list of my ten favorite hymns. It is no …

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Whatever Happened to Congregational Singing?

Posted by on 5.21.06 in Congregational Singing

Since this is Sunday, let me pose a question that has been rattling around in my head for the past few months. Whatever happened to congregational singing? In my travels to different churches, I have noticed that hearty congregational singing seems to be going out of style. I am choosing my words carefully here. By “hearty …

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